Pictured Above - Katie Berkshire (Photo By Michael Giglio | MileSplit)
The Fleet Feet Biggest Mover Award, is a weekly award that goes to an athlete who, in the minds of our team at MileSplit, we believe made the most strides in their respective Brooks XC Region. Whether that means they made big leaps up the leaderboards, or shattered a course record, we recognize that this athlete has established themselves as a contender at their upcoming championship race.
Katie Berkshire (Gaylord, MI) caught our attention after she won the MHSAA LP Region 10-2 with a scorching 16:32, to improve on her season best by over 26-seconds.
Related Link: How To Register For The Brooks XC Midwest Championships
Before this weekend, Berkshire was ranked in 22nd in the Brooks XC Midwest Region rankings with her 16:58.71, but now she could be a contender for the Brooks XC Midwest Championships Title after moving to third in the Midwest rankings.
The Top 30 athletes at Brooks XC Region Championships will receive All-Region Honors, while the top ten individuals will book their ticket to compete at the Brooks XC National Championships in San Diego on December 13.
Berkshire jumped to third in the Midwest Region with her lights-out performance. She won by over a minute and continues her undefeated 2025 cross country season.
Entering the 2025 year, Berkshire had never broke 17:30 on the cross country course. She has run faster in five of her seven races this year. For those reasons, she is this week's Fleet Feet Biggest Mover for the Brooks XC Championships.
Notable Movers From Other Regions
Northeast Region - Leah Starkey (Ocean Township, NJ) - Shattered the course record at Ocean County Park to win the Shore Conference Championships and posted a 16:44. Her previous personal best was 17:06 at the same course. The 16:44 (Ties the NJ #2 All-Time Mark) moved her from tenth to fourth in the Northeast Rankings.
South Region - Brooks Barbee (Christ School, NC) - Shed six seconds off of his time from the VA Showcase to run a 14:59.40 to finish second at the NCISAA State XC Championship (4A). Barbee jumped from 70th to 43rd in the Brooks XC South Region rankings and is positioning himself for a Top 30 Brooks XC All-Region Finish.
West Region - Ben Friedland (San Francisco, CA) - Posted a 14:52.6 5K to win the BCL West 3 Meet on October 27. Friedland also finished sixth in his race at Mt. Sac last weekend. He jumped from 68th to 37th in the Brooks XC West Championships 5K Rankings.